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Former 1up.com EIC Jeremy Parish (who now writes for USGamer.net) has begun writing his "Anatomy of..." series on that fan-favorite, Super Metroid. The articles are very well written and you can really hear his passion for the game in these brief, but very in-depth blog posts. Keep in mind the series isn't finished yet, so expect more to be written in the future.

IT'S OFFICIAL! For the first time ever, the Metroid Database is holding a panel at MAGFest 12! MAGFest 12 is going on at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland from January 2-5, 2014. We are also going to be sharing the panel with members of your favorite game music cover band, METROID METAL! Prizes and free swag WILL be given away! We will be holding the panel on THURSDAY JANUARY 2ND, at 6pm. Room Location is TBD, but we will definitely let you know as soon as we do! For all the details, tickets, and more, visit the official MAGFest site. SEE YOU THERE!

A new Metroid-themed poster has been released onto the masses courtesy of Fangamer. The poster is titled "SR388 Studies," and takes an approach to the titular species as one would find in an anatomy book or a scientific document of the creature. Artwork drawn by Kari Fry. Get it while you can!

Please enjoy five brand new entries to the Bestiary. Keep in mind that the Gelon entry has 3 separate artworks you can view by clicking the dots in the lower right corner of the artwork. You can also use < and > on your keyboard to view them. This is also the debut of one of our newest artists, hailing all the way from Russia, Decepticoin! Thanks for joining the Bestiary, Decepticoin!

This week brings us a new Kickstarter campaign in the form of an indie game called Project Sen. A 2D action platformer, Project Sen is described as a mixture of Mega Man and Metroid, and represents the first major endeavor from newly formed development team CakeMachine Games. If successfully funded by Dec 6., the developers are targeting a late 2014 release for PC/MAC, as well as consoles versions if additional stretch goals are met.

We caught up with project lead, Shoji Ikari, for a brief QA session to get some extra insight about the game design and some of its influences. A longtime Metroid fan, 'Sho' has been visiting the Metroid Database since 1998 and continues to be his favorite site dedicated to all things Metroid.

Although they weren't shown in the early footage, you revealed that Sen would discover various artifacts that would unlock special abilities. Once unlocked, will players be able to use these abilities whenever they choose, or are the abilities primarily intended to be used in only select circumstances and locations?

Players will be able to use these abilities whenever they choose, and they are powered by a stamina bar under Sen's health bar (It recharges on its own, but can be replenished faster by picking up refills). These abilities are multi-functional; they allow Sen to fight enemies in different ways, discover hidden areas in each stage, create alternate methods of progressing through a stage and of course solving puzzles.

Can you describe more about the level design, and whether there will be any notable backtracking elements?

The stages are linear, meaning that they will progress in a left to right fashion and are selected from a hub. However, they do have branching paths which may either be hidden, accessed by using the artifacts, or simply chosen by the player (depending on the stage). Stages may be re-entered after completing them, as many will have both day/night versions as well as different miniboss encounters depending on which route was taken. This will allow players to pick up additional item upgrades for Sen, factoring into replayability.

About how many levels do you expect the game to have?

The game will roughly be 12 stages long (each stage will have different versions depending on which order they were completed in). If we do exceed our budget, we plan on adding in a multitude of additional content including extra stages, some of which expand on events before the start of the game.

What are some of the most notable ways that the Metroid franchise has influenced this project, and what other games might you compare it to?

To me, Sen is an equal mix of Mega Man and Metroid elements. The basic structure is very much classic Mega Man, my favorite being Mega Man 6 for the NES (Which did have branching paths etc). Sen herself is somewhat similar to Samus, having some stoic qualities about herself, however she is young and inexperienced. The environments and atmospheric elements are very much Super Metroid in presentation, since they have that eerie abandoned feeling and colorful art. The characters and bosses (which will be revealed at a later time) are also influenced by the Metal Gear Solid series. I always liked how unique and over the top the characters from Metal Gear were, and that has definitely found its way into Project Sen. Regarding technical points of the game, Sen will also be able to collect energy tanks and "suit upgrades", in a manner of speaking.

Will there be any rating system or treats for speedrunners in Project Sen?

There will be all kinds of extras for speed runs/other unlockables depending on the method of completion, or other factors depending on the player's performance.

Is there anything else your team would like to share with the community?

As our entire team are Metroid enthusiasts, we aim to give fellow fans something that feels very familiar as far as aesthetics and controls are concerned. Over all we hope Project Sen is something the Metroid community will appreciate, and we hope you enjoy Sen's adventure!

--

Thanks to Ikari for his time, and the MDB staff would like to wish the CakeMachine Games team the best of luck.

I hope everyone here had a fantastic and safe Halloween with great costumes, good friends, and plenty of "candy" (using the term loosely here for those of you who like Zebesian ale). Hopefully you didn't have too much candy and ended up looking like Kraid!

And don't let anyone tell you you have to stop celebrating just because it's November...we used to watch Ghostbusters cartoons all year round! He also did Super Smash Wars, so check that one out too and make a whole Sunday morning cartoon fest out of it!

Today this site turns another year old, but right now I can't help admitting that my feelings are a little more than bittersweet. I'm very proud to still be a part of the forerunner site of the online Metroid fan community, but lately it's been very difficult to stay motivated - and I'm fairly certain my colleagues are in the same boat. Beyond the series' cloudy future, for some reason the internet will not let go of its ridiculous grudge against Other M. It's quite tiresome, and I bore of hearing the same petty arguments mixed with the same petty reasoning for the past 3 years. Other M has come and gone. It's something you'll all have to live with. Stating the obvious here, but if there's anything I would want you to take away from the public reception of Other M it's that video games are not real life. Don't let it piss on your parade. There's a lot worse things to get upset over than the poorly-written plot of a video game. Furthermore, it isn't anyone's "fault." Last I checked, video games like Other M are made by a team of people. No one deserves to be demonized. Is it sensible, worthwhile, or productive to disrespect an artist for the art they create? In my opinion, doing so is little more than advertising your own ignorance, inexperience, immaturity, and your inability to cope with what is presented regardless of the art's completely subjective quality. In short: get over it.

On a more positive note, we do have some big ideas and plans for the future of the MDb, but as of right now I cannot say if they will ever come into fruition. We are also steadily working on more manga translations for you, so stay tuned for those. Thanks and major props all around to the rest of the MDb staff, my entire Bestiary Team, and all of our awesome message board members. You know who you are.

One last thing: This year we will not be having a contest due to the budget of the MDb being $0.00, combined with the turnout of last year's contest, which was admittedly less than stellar. Sorry, but that's just how it is.

Well, folks! We've finally got Chapter 11 of Samus & Joey up live! This closes out Volume 2 of Samus & Joey, but we've got one more book on the list (along with the sequel Metroid EX - EX as in EXTREME!! We are working steadily on it and always appreciate the positive feedback!

Incidentally, this chapter really illustrates the writing skills of the author, Idzuki Kouji. Things get quite emotional and intense - you might not be expecting this dark a subject matter in a kids' manga, but there you have it! Master "Moon-Up" (as he likes to use as an alternate reading for his pen-name) demonstrates a strong use of pacing to build up tension, and this is supported by his wonderful drawings. Keep a kleenex handy! Even ol' Armstrong Houston gets a little bleary-eyed when reading this.

Four brand spankin' new Metroid Fusion entries from one of our talented Bestiary artists. Rundash is an extremely talented artist from Finland, who has created out some very beautiful entries for us thus far. Rundash's art style is very loose and painterly, but he also balances that looseness with a great sense of shape and form. His color work is also very vibrant and interesting. Thank you for all your hard work thus far, Rundash! We look forward to seeing more work from you in the future!

My good friend Mark "FryGuy 64" Kelly has started his Nintober project once again. This project requires him to draw one Nintendo Monster, for every single day this month in honor of Halloween. In 2008, he featured Mother Brain as the first of his 11 pictures, and in 2011 and 2012, he featured even more Metroid enemies such as Crocomire and Phantoon in his entire 31 day blitz. Like last year, Mark is raising money for MS research, so if you have a couple of bucks to spare, please make a donation at his MS fundraiser. Of course making a donation is not mandatory, so please check out his gallery, as his work is great, and any Metroid or Nintendo fan should be in bliss.

With our birthday coming up, the MDb has been around for almost 17 years. In that time, we've certainly touched the lives of many people. A few weeks ago, a cosplayer contacted us to tell us her story that we had a hand in changing her life forever. You can read her story and more in our exclusive interview with her.

It is with a heavy heart that we report on the recent passing of former President and Chairman of Nintendo, Hiroshi Yamauchi, at 85. Yamauchi was the great-grandson (non-blood relative) of the founder of Nintendo, and helped form Nintendo into the video game powerhouse that it is today. He stepped down from the role of President in 2002, which was when Satoru Iwata took over, the first non-relative President in the company's history.

There is some thorough history with Yamauchi and Nintendo (i.e. ex NOA-Prez Minoru Arakawa married Yamauchi's daughter), and for those interested, I would recommend reading through the book Game Over by David Sheff. Yamauchi is said to have had a net worth of approx $2.5 billion. Cause of death is complications of pneumonia. He is survived by his two daughters, Yoko and Fujiko, and his son, Katsuhito.

UPDATE: Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka, better known as the composer of the original Metroid and many other Nintendo titles, and is now president of Creatures Inc., has written two songs as a tribute to his former boss, who likely helped him get where he is today. The first song is a Super Mario Land remix, and the second is a Metroid one. They are mixes of the end credits themes for both titles. Thanks Emperor Ing from the forum for the heads up!

It's been a while, but we have some new Bestiary entries for you guys. Please enjoy the art and information for the following creatures. Since many of the artists have been slow going as of late, or just have been busy with other real-life priorities, I may be doing some headhunting in the near future. If you think you got what it takes and want to contribute to our ever-updated project, please feel free to email me: infinitysend0 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject "MDb Bestiary Artist." Please have a DA or portfolio site with your artwork available, or you will not be considered. Keep in mind that the project is 100% donation-only and no compensation will be given for your work. Please do not take it personally if we do not contact you.

Revealed today by Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai, is the Pyrosphere from Metroid: Other M as a new stage in the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. Interestling enough, this area also served as a stage in the 3DS game, Dead or Alive: Dimensions, with Ridley as a stage hazard. Will Ridley be left as a stage hazard, or will he finally make his playable Smash Bros. debut?

Pic of the day. Out of the blue, here's a new stage--the Pyrosphere from Metroid: Other M! An enemy from Samus's past may appear at any second...

According to a recent Kotaku interview, GameStop is ordering a new batch of Metroid Prime Tilogy disks, similar to the recent reprint of Xenoblade Chronicles. While it is good that the game will be available for more people, if the prices of Xenoblade Chronicles are any indication, the game won't come cheap. As always, we will let you know when Metroid Prime Trilogy reappears on store shelves.

Well, it's been a long time coming, but we've finally got the Metroid Prime Hunters music section remastered and ready to roll! Here you'll find a complete collection of all the music and SFX from the game, along with the First Hunt demo soundtrack. It's taken awhile since it is very difficult to get quality recordings from a DS. Long story short, extensive comparisons were done for audio quality to make sure these sound as close to what comes out of the system when you plug in a good pair of headphones. So if you've been wanting to get your Hunters music fix, here it is!

Christian Cardona (Bones, Black Swan) and Kent King (Drake, Y: The Last Man fanfilm) have launched a Kickstarter project for a fan film, Metroid: Enemies Within. Samus will be played by Rebecca Marshall (Saw 3D, cameos in CSI: Miami). The film is set as a sequel to Metroid Prime: Hunters, of all things, although that is sure to get fans of that title excited, as Sylux will be appearing as Samus's enemy. The basic plot is Samus is kidnapped by Sylux's men and her Power Suit is stolen. She has to break out of detention, steal it back, and exact revenge on her captors. There's a storyboard illustrating the escape sequence, as well as some prerendered CG footage of Samus's ship.

The team is asking for $90,000 to cover building a set, the costumes, and the filming. It doesn't look like they will try for a commercial release of the film, but considering Nintendo's track record with cancelling fan film projects, and with cracking down on monetization from fans lately, it's unknown whether Metroid: Enemies Within will fly under their radar, even if it does reach its funding goal. If you're an incredibly wealthy patron, you can receive Samus's or Sylux's suit by pledging $10,000, but if you just want to see the completed film, $25 is the minimum to receive a copy. The campaign ends September 8.

Update 8/23/2013:

It comes as no surprise that the Kickstarter page has been given a DMCA notice. Just to reiterate anyone who might be a little confused, to quote a passage from Kickstarter's Terms of Use:

You shall not, and shall not permit any third party using your account to, take any action, or Submit Content, that:
- infringes any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, right of publicity, or other right of any other person or entity, or violates any law or contract;

Back into the world of Kickstarter, we have two new games on practically the opposite ends of the spectrum, as far as Metroidvanias go. The first game is called Legend of Iya (pronounced Ee-yah). The game is 100% pixel-based, and seems to be taken right out of the end of the height of the 16-bit era. The character animation is extremely fluid and all the backgrounds seem to be painstakingly pixelled in extreme detail. The game's developer, DarkFalzX is asking for a weighty $75k, and unfortunately it doesn't look like he'll reach his goal, as he only has 5 days left. They may re-Kickstart after this one ends though, so keep and eye out for it. You can also download and play a short demo of the game. Check out the Kickstarter video below:

The other game is fairly new on the Kickstarter scene. Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope offers a high-resolution Metroidvania adventure, instilling itself with all the things we love about 2D Metroid games: an overwhelming sense of isolation, a dark and mysterious planet to adventure on, a storyline told without cutscenes or dialogue, and of course lots of enemies to blast and powerups to find. It was originally going to be a Flash-based game, but it eventually grew too big and he had to move on to another more capable engine, which is Unity. The game looks fantastic, and carries a lot of potential:

We at the MDb wish both projects the best of luck!

--Infinity's End

Gamasutra on Why Super Metroid's Hacking Community is Still Going Strong

Gamasutra recently posted an article by Victoria Earl on the hacking community for Super Metroid, highlighting the work of Metroid Construction. It's a lot of great coverage for a great group of people, and they highlight several top hacks, such as Metroid: Super Zero Mission, Super Metroid Phazon Hack, and Ice Metal: Uninstall. The article is geared primarily towards developers and gives tips for developing a game that fosters growth and interest within the fan community, so you may not learn much new about the game itself (it also completely avoids any discussions of the legalities behind ROM hacking, which we're not going to discuss here, either). From Earl's list at the end, we can get some idea of why Super Metroid is such a successful game that supports such a large mod community. The game has high replay value, meaning players desire to put hundreds of hours into the game and become fans of it, it provides plenty of opportunity for exploration, and there aren't sequels or additional content being released every year. The fact that Metroid Construction provides such excellent tools contributes to its success.

If you're new to Super Metroid mods, the Metroid Database has a nice collection in our Fanapps section, including Metroid: Super Zero Mission, Project Base, and the classic Super Justin Bailey, which replaces Samus's power suit with her leotard from the original. There are also plenty of NES Metroid hacks here as well, including our very own MDbtroid. Just bear in mind that many of these patches are for veteran players rather than casual fans. The difficulty has increased considerably, and you will need to master skills such as Wall Jumping and make good use of save states in order to complete them.

If you'd like to do a little bit of hacking on your own, check out SMILE by Jathys, the Super Metroid level editor, or Editroid (which just saw an update back in early June).

As usual, the Metroid Database only provides the patches, not the original game software or patched game ROMs - you'll have to take care of that yourself, and all requests for ROMs or information about what they are and how to get them will be promptly ignored.

It's been about a year since the last chapter of Samus & Joey was added. A LOT of stuff has happened in my personal life since then, making working on manga translation pretty low on the list of priorities, which is partly reason for the long delay. In addition, I had to work with the typesetter closely for an overhaul of his work, and he had a lot of things going on as well. However, you should be happy to note that the scanner, Sharonlover from the MDb forums, has let me know he's got the rest of the chapters scanned (they just need cleaning), and I've got good drafts of the rest of the chapters, too - so ideally, we should be getting new chapters up on a more or less regular basis!

Anyway, in this chapter, Joey finally finds a friend - a robot! (Makes sense, right?) He helps Joey bring scrap parts back to Diesel's shop for recycling (who's exterior looks a hell of a lot like Dr. Doppler's lab...). However, not all is what it seems with this new 'Bioroid'... Check out the latest chapter, or start from the beginning!

A little late to the party, but our friends over at Metroid Headquarters are doing their annual MHQThon Donation drive where all the members of the staff play through all the games in the series for a good cause. All the proceeds go to Child's Play Charity. As of this writing they are playing through Metroid Zero Mission, so head on over to Metroid Headquarters and check it out!

Japan's Nintendo Online Magazine (NOM) can be seen as a precursor to Iwata Asks, with dozens of staff interviews, as well as previews of upcoming games. One of these was an interview with Metroid Zero Mission's development staff conducted in 2004. Well, we've now got a full translation up on the site!

The article goes into some detail on the art style and development process, noting that Zero Mission turned out very well because of all the experience they had working on Fusion. However, one one of the most interesting bits of information here actually regards this beta footage:

This video was originally shown on Nintendo's E3 2003 website, but was quickly taken down and replaced with newer game footage. The clip shows a chibi Samus blasting her way through Brinstar. Her appearance and movement is very similar to the original Metroid sprite - you can also see chibi Samus in this concept art for Kraid. Well, graphic designer Takayasu Morisawa brings it up, saying the abrupt change in art style came from Nintendo of America: "It seemed a little cute, and we had finished all the designs to match it, but NOA told us to stop." As you can see in the video, many of the tiles and character sprites were also changed to look less cartoony - although Samus still has the motion echoes like in the final version. Map designer Ryuichi Nakada elaborates:

They told us that a Metroid game that wasn't realistic would never work. Of course, this is a title that sells extremely well overseas, so NOA's opinions were essential. It turned out that when our global demographic saw it, they said realistic was better, so we changed directions.

So there you have it! NOA canned chibi Samus because they didn't think Western audiences would have accepted it. As a result, we had a fluid, more realistic Samus with an art style strongly influenced by American comics.

Hey folks! Happy 4th of July. If you are taking some time out of your day filled with food, fun, family, and fireworks and spending it with us, then I am truly honored. To help celebrate, we bring you our exclusive interview with one of the developers from Drinkbox Studios: Chris McQuinn. Chris's exact role at the studio is not quite known, nor is anyone who works at Drinkbox. This is known as horizontal business structure, which allows all the workers at the company to be on equal footing. This is very beneficial in the industry because it keeps morale very high, as everyone feels they have an equal footing at making the company succeed. (Another famous company that follows this strategy is Valve.)

Chris took some time out of his busy development schedule to answer a few of our questions, and for that we are extremely grateful. You can spread the love by purchasing a copy of Guacamelee! which can be purchased for PS3 or Vita for a measley $15. All Metroid fans should at least give this game a shot; or you'll be missing out on one of the most vibrant, fun, and actually challenging 2D Metroidvania games for a next-gen console. Though the game is somewhat short (a non-stop player and Metroid veteran could probably beat it in a single sitting or two) playing with a buddy makes for a damn good time. And there's even a few hidden items to keep you coming back for more.

It's not everyday that I get a message from the site's founder, TJ, but when I do, I listen. Today I got a message from him about this awesome article from Rocketnews 24 about a small restaurant in Kyoto called Benkei Shokudo. The restaurant was frequented by the development team of the original Metroid from 1985 to 1986 - they often had to order out huge batches of food and have it shipped to Nintendo:

"[W]e couldn't carry that much food at once, so we had to deliver it in batches as we cooked, making several round trips back and forth to fill the whole order."

Incidentally, Benkei appears in the credits to the Japanese Famicom Disk System version of Metroid (the listing was removed from the overseas release to provide room for the localizer, Toru Narihiro). We spotted the entry a few years back while watching the Japanese ending - somehow it missed notice until so recently! However, I never figured it would be the name of a restaurant!

I've no idea how they found out about this restaurant though, but they said the most popular dish among the development staff was the pork cutlet bowl. Next time you're in Kyoto, be sure to check out the place! It won't show up on Google Maps, but you'll want the Tobakaido Station stop on the Keihan Main Line. It's right between the train tracks. You can't miss it!

Thanks, TJ, for pointing this out, and thanks Rocketnews 24 for the story! (BTW, here's the original Japanese article, which lists their hours.) Food travel journalism about videogames? Yum!

During an E3 interview, Michael Kelbaugh had a few PR statements on Retro's thoughts on Metroid. Here are the quotes:

Well, we love Metroid. We love Metroid Prime and we always will. It was a big part of our studio, the culture of the studio. The majority of that team is still at Retro," Kelbaugh said. "When we finished with DK, we still had a lot of really cool ideas. That, in combination with what the Wii U could do, we really wanted to continue with that. Again, Retro Studios loves Metroid. We might do another one someday. But we really enjoyed working with DK as well.

He later went on to say:

Basically I'm thinking of, not just Samus, but how we can expand the whole Samus universe," Tanabe said. "You remember Metroid Prime Hunters. I'm thinking about things like how we could make that go out further, with all these different bounty hunters as well.

The full (unfulfilling and mostly worthless) article can be read here.

This morning's Nintendo Direct may have been an incredibly choppy broadcast, but all the debut videos are now online for your viewing pleasure (note you can also view the whole thing now at your leisure, although you might have better luck watching it on YouTube rather than the official site...

First up is Super Smash Bros., the game we've all been excited about! And boy, does this one looks ready to impress! New challengers include the Villager from Animal Crossing, and most spectacularly, Mega Man! That's right, the Blue Bomber is back in town, and he's going to be taking Mario & Co. head-on! Oh yeah, there's also the Wii Fit Trainer, the woman from the Wii Fit games. I wonder if she will have a Zero Suit Samus skin. Hmm... Be sure to check out the official Smash Bros. site for more information! The Masahiro Sakurai video on Nintendo's E3 page is pretty cool, too.

Samus has also been redesigned, with a sleeker, rounder (perhaps slightly feminine?) suit. Previous Smash Bros. models were based off Super Metroid's design, but this time around, they used Other M as the model, although Sakurai says she is "more powered-up visual-wise". The 3DS version has a graphical change, with flatter colors and thick black cartoony lines to make characters easier to see. No word yet if Samus can fight in her Zero Suit, but she can fire a helluva massive Hyper Beam at her foes! Watch out though, as the Villager can grab her Super Missiles and fling them back Golden Torizo-style! Check out Samus's character page for more information.

The only downside is the 2014 release. And actually, most of the games shown in the Nintendo Direct video are either coming out in late 2013 or sometime in 2014. That's right - Wii U owners can expect a famine of new titles of Nintendo 64 proportions. And that's a little worrisome because it means Nintendo will be going head-to-head with the PS4 and Xbox One with very little to show for its one-year head-start.

Next, we finally found out what Retro Studios has been working on and it's... Well, you really shouldn't have that big of a drum roll since it's a sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns. While I can always go with more Donkey Kong, I'd have rather seen something completely new from Retro... (And apparently, so would Retro's Michael Kellbaugh, who says there was a struggle over whether to go with more Metroid or Donkey Kong...)

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze puts the Kongs in contest with a band of invading Vikings made of penguins and walruses! As a Viking fan, I think this is pretty awesome and a fresh change from the Kremlings and Tikis of past games. This time, Retro is focusing on rotating camera angles to provide a 2.5D perspective (although according to Nintendo World Report, these don't add much to the gameplay, just add to the emotional experience and let players see more of the level layout). We also see the triumphant return of Dixie Kong (and an as-yet unannounced [new?] member of the Kong family). They also give a lot of hoopla over Donkey Kong's fur textures, made possible thanks to the Wii U's new hardware. I guess this is the project's American side at work - Retro's famous focus on details.

We will also see the ability to pick up objects from the ground and chuck stunned enemies (this mechanic is brought back from Super Mario Bros. 2 by Kensuke Tanabe. You might not know this, but SMB2 was Tanabe's first directorial project at Nintendo, although it was originally Doki Doki Panic before it became a Mario title. I can't stress the fact enough that although Tanabe-san's game was his first role as a director, the fact it was chosen to become a Mario title is huge. I asked him about this awhile back, and he was very proud of the work:

Originally it was not created as one of the Mario series, so it has a different system and controls compared to a standard Mario title. But I made it with the best ideas I could come up with then, trying to make it an entertaining game... The game was released as Super Mario Bros. 2 in the US, and I will be glad if users regard it as a proper Mario title.

We certainly do, Tanabe-san! There's a cool video (no pun intended) on DKC: Tropical Freeze courtesy of Kensuke Tanabe on the official E3 Nintendo site. Be sure to check it out! DKC: Tropical Freeze should be out by the end of this year. Nintendo World Report has some impressions.

Until next time...
Captain Commando

Sneaking Onto the Set: Behind the Scenes with the Metroid Zero Mission Commercial

I'm sure you remember this commercial. Sexy and flashy, this was Nintendo of Japan's take on advertising Metroid Zero Mission. What you probably weren't aware of though was that Nintendo did a lot more than just make a commercial - they invited several journalists to get a behind-the-scenes look at the set. The original page has long been removed from the official Japanese Metroid Zero Mission homepage, but we found a copy in the archives and set about translating it. In addition, one of our users, VGM Studios, took scans of a magazine article he'd acquired. Both articles are chock-ful of behind-the-scenes photographs and information on the commercial. We are now proud to present this feature to you in English!

Samus is played by gravure idol Chisato Morishita. Although she has mostly starred in B-horror movies since then, the sexy no-holds-barred style of the commercial makes it stand out among fans of the series. One fascinating bit of information from the articles is that series director Yoshio Sakamoto hand-picked Morishita to play Samus, focusing specifically on Morishita's stare, which he felt communicated the spirit of Samus:

The power of Morishita-san's gaze was perfect for the convictions of game heroine Samus Aran, so this time, we asked her to perform. Morishita-san has really gotten right into the role of Samus.

While Sakamoto has been criticized for his portrayal of Samus in Metroid: Other M, this shows yet again that he had been slowly developing his ideas about Samus's psychology for years. Check out the full article here.

The Max Factory Samus and Link Figma action figures will finally be released in the US! Previously only available in Japan - and long since sold out in most places - copyright for these collectibles has been cleared, and they are on their way! The figures were distributed in Japan by Good Smile Company, but the American release comes through Diamond Comics. They will arrive in stores on October 30.

The Varia Suit Figma runs for $49.99 while the 12" Zero Suit Figma runs a cool $99.99. These are a bit more than the original Japanese release prices, but are well below what the Japanese figures are currently selling for. Link from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will also be available for purchase. You can preorder them from Gamestop, as well as other retailers, but there is no word yet on when the Pit and Dark Pit Figmas will also see US release. We will post new links for places to preorder from as they become available.

It has been just over 10 years since we last saw a Samus action figure in the US, and Joyride's previous effort is no contest for Max Factory. These figures are absolutely gorgeous and deserve a spot on your trophy shelf. Check the Metroid Database's Varia Suit and Zero Suit Figma reviews for more details. Let's just hope there aren't any shortages, but be sure to pre-order yours soon anyway!

Begrimed is one of the founders of MetroidConstruction.com and has been working on a Super Metroid hack called Project Base since 2009. Project Base is unlike most other hacks out there, as it does very little in terms of direct changes to the level design of Super Metroid - it's mostly focused on specific gameplay changes to make the experience of Super Metroid more enjoyable to modern audiences, or even those who might have grown tired of SM's nuances over the years. Here's a short list of some of the changes that have been made:

No more 7-second "Got Item" jingle when you acquire a new item.

All graphics/sprites have been given new colors/palettes.

All rooms have ben given new custom backgrounds.

Modified animation speeds for most things, including enemies and Samus.

Charge Beam has "vacuum effect" on pickups ala Metroid Prime.

Morph Ball only rolls while moving, and Bombs detonate quicker.

Sounds have been edited and changed.

Elevators, doors and room transitions move quicker.

Backflip move! While crouching, hold the run button, then press jump and hold left or right, depending which direction Samus is facing.

Instant Morph move! Hold the item cancel button and press down. Samus will morph into a ball instantly without needing to crouch or aim down first. Works on the ground or in the air. Quick morphing in the air can also be done by holding L and pressing down, for players who might find item cancel annoying to use.

Shinesparking can be done much quicker and easier.

Boost Ball can be achieved by holding run while in Morph Ball (after acquiring Speed Booster & Spring Ball)

Other edits to physics and beam shooting speeds.

Much much more!

You can read the full list over on Begrimed's website. Here are some screenshots below for some graphical changes Begrimed has done:

For all Wii U owners, Super Metroid is available today for the Wii U virtual console! Between now and June 14, the game can be purchased for the very low price of $0.30 as part of Nintendo's 30th Anniversary for the Famicom. Super Metroid is also available on the Japanese and PAL Virtual Console for the equivalent local price.

The Miiverse channel for Super Metroid should also be opened now, so even if you don't have the game, share your thoughts on the series and see what other people are talking (and drawing) about.

UPDATE: It should be also noted that affiliate site Shinesparkers is holding a month-long campaign starting today. The goal is to go into the Miiverse community for Super Metroid and show that a demand is there for getting a new Metroid game on the WiiU or 3DS. For all WiiU owners we urge you to participate and show Nintendo that Metroid fans do still exist!

I don't read too many blogs, so I didn't know about this until today. Starting at the end of last month, Jeremy Parish, former EIC of 1-up.com (and also owner of Metroidvania.com) has dedicated some recent posts on his blog into deciphering the nuances and subtleties of the first Metroid on the NES. His posts go into great detail on subjects like level design choices, item placement and importance, and enemy designs, proving that Metroid is clearly a game that doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves, and is seemingly overshadowed by its SNES sister, considered by many to be a masterpiece of game design.

As this is a series called "Anatomy of a Game," Jeremy has written 4 posts so far and plans on writing many more. They're truly great reads; and I recommend to anyone interested in critically studying game design.

Although the last new Metroid game was almost three years ago, there has been a slew of Metroidvanias recently on Kickstarter to whet your appetite.

A.N.N.E. is a cross between Gradius and Super Metroid - fly around in an upgradeable ship to explore new areas, then jump out of your ship to travel on foot. The developer's main inspiration was, "Why doesn't Samus get back on her ship in Super Metroid?" Although he cites Guardian Legend, the mechanic of exiting an upgradeable vehicle and walking around sounds more like Blaster Master. With jets. You can fund it and get the game for as little as $10. This one is in need of support - it is $20k short of its goal.

Rex Rocket looks like a mash-up between Mega Man and Cave Story. There are plenty of weapon and item upgrades that unlock new areas of the ship, lots of NPCs to talk to, and some catchy chiptunes. This one can be funded for as low as $10 with soundtracks available at $15. It has already reached its funding goal.

Oh yeah, they're also making a fantastic Zelda-inspired game called Blossom Tales. They talk about it in another interview.

Chasm has almost closed, but there's still time to fund it (5 days left). It's Castlevania-inspired, with a whole lot of medieval spelunking, swords, and fantasy monsters. Funding here starts at $15. The game will also be available on Steam. Indie Gamer Chick interviewed the developer a few months back. Funding starts at $15. It has already reached its goal.

If you need a little more help to get into that Cinco de Mayo spirit, let me just stop you there to recommend the totally awesome Guacamelee! This fantastic action-adventure is probably the greatest thing to happen to Metroidvania since Outland. You play as a luchador (masked Mexican wrestler) who must save the world from evil skeletons. Along the way, you grab a ton of abilities such as wall-jumping and wall-dashing, all with fantastic goat-themed names (seriously!). Your new powers will allow you to break down walls or perform new moves, giving you access to new areas of the game. It will take a considerable amount of exploration to track down all the nooks and crannies. And that's not all! The game is chock-full of cameos to other classic games, including Mario, Zelda, Mega Man, Castle Crashers, and Metroid!

That's right, there are statues of Metroids, along with 'Choozo Statues' that contain all your great power-ups! Oh, and did I mention it's two-player co-op???

Guacamelee! is a beat 'em up, and you'll spend most of your time beating up skeleton hombres with a wide array of kicks, punches, and head-butts. The environments are fantastic - lush forest, burning desert, and mountain passes are just three, and they're all painted with elegant Latin watercolor, all accompanied to epic Mexican ballads. It really makes you realize how awesome the culture is. This variety is also deeply refreshing for a genre that has largely been limited to the same old renditions of lava area, jungle area, rock area, and ice area (or more stuffy old castles, as with Castlevania). Since one of the great things about Metroidvania is exploration, it's pure joy to travel through a land completely new.

Since the game is based around the Dio de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, an important holiday in Mexican culture), there is also a great mechanic where you can go back and forth between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Unlike A Link to the Past, however, there is no puzzle-solving involving changing things in one world to affect the other. Rather, it is a tool for exploration - switching between the worlds will open up new paths forward. In later areas, there are some tricky wall-jump action that will make Super Metroid fans proud.

The only real downside is the game's length (five dungeons that can be cleared in about 5-6 hours, depending on how much exploring you do). However, the game boasts a lot of replay value through hard mode and speedruns - and it even ranks you against all other players. That's a feature we'd like to see in the next Metroid, too! Still, it's a good price at $15, and any Metroid fan would be doing themselves a favor by picking it up. And who knows - if they sell enough copies, we can probably expect a bigger, better Guacamelee 2! You can play the game on PS3 or PSVita.

So yeah, back on the 15th, there was this huge event called METROID METAL TURNING 10 YEARS OLD!!! that we kind of forgot to cover (sorry Stemage!!!). I'll just put the blame here on getting sick and our staff's new work schedules... (Or maybe we just want to be like Capcom, who's Mega Man anniversaries last for like three friggin' years! *ahem!*)

Anyway, Metroid Metal's been one of the greatest things that's ever happened to the series, and I've spent countless hours listening to their stuff. If you somehow missed some of the songs over the past 10 years, here's a convenient zip chock full of every single MM track released so far (well, except Varia Suite - but you get that for like $8 over at Bandcamp). That's like thirty gajillion songs. Seriously, until a couple months ago, I even forgot they did Tallon IV Overworld, and it's pretty badass. Their latest track is Sector 4 from Metroid Fusion. It's also awesome.

As if that wasn't enough, there's a neat three-track arrange album of Metroid Metal music called appropriately enough Metroid Metal: 10 Years of Inspiration. It includes the Theme, Lower Norfair, and Ending. They're pretty fun, and you can pick the EP up for however much you want to pay. That means anywhere from $0 to the friggin national debt.

BTW, if you haven't checked out Metroid Metal live yet, you better keep posted to their upcoming shows page, since it's an experience like no other. If you thought listening to the CD was awesome, just wait until you see them live. I saw them at MAGFest back in January, and it was something incredible. It's like watching prehistoric tribal warriors do voodoo magic, and the music is played over speakers the size of a friggin' Volkswagen. They've also got some fantastic new animated videos by Nate Horsfall. (Protip: Stand on the left side of the stage; that's where all the action is!) This grainy YouTube stuff doesn't do it justice.

Metroid Metal will be playing at Bit Gen Gamerfest in Baltimore on June 30 and again at Nerdapalooza on August 3-5 in Orlando (which is awesome, since I live down there now!).

According to retailer Big Bad Toy Store, a licensing issue over the Nintendo Figma's released beginning with Samus Aran has finally been hammered out. What this means is that both the Samus Figma and the Zero Suit Samus Figure will be available for purchase without having to pay import fees. Of course, Link has also become available alongside Samus.

Check out IE's review of the Zero Suit figure by clicking on the image below.

It has been some time since Metroid Database has released an original feature. However I am proud to announce the latest addition to our growing collection. Was There a Heroine Before Samus? takes a look at an often forgotten old school Nintendo game in hopes of finding an answer. Click the image below to find out more!

In a recent interview with ONM about Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Nintendo producer Hiro Yamada briefly mentioned Retro Studios' new game. While he naturally did not reveal what they are working on, he did mention that he hopes to show it off "in the not too distant future". Incoming E3 Nintendo Direct? Hopefully, we'll find out what Retro is working on by E3 this June.

In the same interview Retro Studios gave their seal of approval to Monster's port of Donkey Kong Country Returns. If you haven't played it already, now is a great time to jump in without fear of Retro's vision being lost. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D will be available on May 24 and 25 in North America and PAL territories respectively.

A year ago, we told you about NeoGAF member Mama Robotnik who unearthed some awesome assets from the Metroid Prime series. A year later, and Mama Robotnik has uncovered some more goodies. This time, we get a glimpse at an early title screen, some very early screenshots, and a series of logos Nintendo of America tested for the game.

Keep at it Mama Robotnik! I think I speak for all of us at Metroid Database when I say that you seriously rock!

In case you haven't already heard elsewhere, this past Friday, Nintendo announced that they would be shutting down their legacy servers that deal specifically with Wii channels and the transfer of Wii data online. This includes WiiConnect 24, which is what you use to send messages to your friends, as well as trading Friend Vouchers with each other.

The full announcement can be read here. Nintendo will also be doing the same throughout the rest of the world.

The Metroid Database has always been a central hub for trading Friend Vouchers amongst the Metroid community since the games were released. We hope we have been successful in making up for Nintendo's complete lack of support for these services. If you still want to trade with each other legitimately, you will have until June 28th of this year.

Via in-depth game news site Polygon, we now know what Armature Studio, the studio formed by former Retro Studios' leads Mark Pacini (direction & design), Todd Keller (art), and Jack Matthews (engineering) had been working on these past few years after their departure from Retro back in 2008. The first may come as a surprise: a first-person Megaman game called Maverick Hunter. Judging from the early prototype videos, the game seems to focus heavily on shooting and action, with flawless transitions between first person and third to witness the beauty kills. The main character (let's just call him "X"), while very sleek and futuristic looking, is also extremely dehumanized, with only a holographic projection of a face flickering in and out to show grim technology behind it. The faux visage is then further covered up by a retracting mask when going into battle. Also of note is the fact that X no longer has his signature arm cannon, and has been replaced with a retractable gun. Metroid Prime likenesses aside, it seems like Capcom wasn't willing to take the risk as it was cancelled back in 2010. Check out the entire article here.

Armature is currently working on another game called Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate, which, according to this article, is a "completely separate experience" taking place after the events of Origins. It is described to be a "2.5D Metroid-style exploration game." Blackgate will be released on Vita and 3DS as a companion title to the main console version.

For North American gamers, Club Nintendo has updated their digital rewards for April, and Super Metroid is available for 150 coins on Wii! Super Metroid is considered one of the greatest games of all time, so if you haven't had a chance to play it, now is a great time to dive in.

If you're looking for something else to spend your coins on, 3D Classics: Urban Champion, and Kirby's Pinball Land are available for 150 coins each, plus Super Mario 64 is available for 200 coins.

GameTrailers.com recently put out their latest episode of Pop Facts (an offshoot off gaming urban legend series Pop Fiction). This episode explains the origins of the word Varia. You could have read about this very fact 5 years ago in my 2008 article, The Woman Behind the Visor, but of course I'm sure it didn't get nearly as much traffic as a site like GameTrailers.

You might recognize a familiar website watermark at around 0:25. Don't worry though; Mr. Bloodworth did ask us permission.

Happy Friday! All's been reasonably quiet on the Metroid front as of late. Beyond various awesome fan art and the like, we here at the Metroid Database have had very little to report on. Today we bring you three new entries to our frequently updated Bestiary today, the Crystallite, Plazmite, and Puddle Spore.

Stay tuned, as CapCom has been busy translating something awesome for you guys. That should probably be unveiled fairly soon.

Update:
One more thing. A silly little popularity contest is being hosted via Half Price Books. Tournament of Heroes pits the men and women of sci-fi vs. the men and women of fantasy. We are currently at the final round, and it is Samus Aran versus Xena: Warrior Princess. As of this writing, Samus is currently in the lead and has over 1500 more votes than Xena. Do you part and vote, no sign-up required!

It's something that doesn't happen too often. On March 16th of this year, Chris "cak" Knight defeated the previous world record, which he himself had currently held since 2005 on Twin Galaxies. How's that for some self-inspiration? Chris's video can be seen below. The game is finished in 0:15:43 and is currently being verified at Speed Demos Archive. It's considered to be a "minimalist" run, and Chris defeats Kraid to get 75 missiles, skipping Ridley entirely. He then uses a trick where you lure a Reo into the statue room, and freeze it to get into Tourian (starts around 12:30). Congratulations to Chris for his awesome accomplishment!

Blake Robinson's latest project, Super Metroid Symphony has been released today, on the 19th anniversary of the game's Japanese debut! The album is a fantastic orchestral arrangement of the Metroid series's groundbreaking soundtrack, with extremely high-quality synths, and is sure to please fans of the original. The album is available for $10 from either iTunes (MP3s) or Loudr (as DRM-free MP3 or FLAC). Go download it now, and be sure to check our review!

If you're interested in making any purchases, please make sure you are clicking through the links or use the Fan Gamer Swag Section on the right-hand column. All purchases made through our site directly helps the Metroid Database.

The developer of Editroid, Snarfblam has released yet another hack for the seminal NES title. The hack is called "Metroid Plus," which takes the original game and adds to it a few small but extremely awesome features, the most exciting of those being SAVING! Not only does it save your game, but it also depicts the status of your current progress by showing your inventory and all the items you have discovered throughout the game. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!

Pushing Start will now make a map appear. The map can be scrolled all around with the Dpad. It will show you your current location, and where bosses and elevators can be found - it's up to you to discover the item locations. It's not quite a self-updating automap, but it's pretty much the next best thing.

The last two things are a "Wavy-Ice" beam, which means that the game promotes beam-stacking. This makes it so when you collect the Ice Beam, it will not remove your Wave Beam power, and vice versa, but stack them together. There is also a new Game Over Screen which gives you the option to save your game.

Find a Metroid ROM, and use a patcher utility like LunarIPS to apply the patch. The MDb will never host or provide ROMs to the public.

If you want to save your game without dying, just push Start (pause) and then UP+Start on Controller 2 (ala Zelda 1).

Due to there not being any more passwords, if you want to access Suitless Samus, you must do it the "proper" way by beating the game in under 3 hours. NARPASSWORD is also unaccessible due to this (but that's for cheaters!).

Using this hack will also unfortunately remove the story screen, but who's gonna miss that anyway?

Fantastic work, Snarfblam, we can't wait to see what your next hack will bring us!

It's been a rather complex process to get this out, but we finally have available for download the Metroid Blast soundtrack from Nintendo Land. It was a bit difficult to get clean recordings of some of these tracks since there is usually a lot of background noise, and the jukebox just plays the music in the background of the main hub, coupled with the usual technical difficulties of cleaning the audio (with lots of help from Mad Mega!). Anyway, it's available now for download and as far as we know is the cleanest rip of the soundtrack anywhere.

For details on the score, the music was composed by Ryo Nagamatsu, who earlier spoke with Destructoid about his work on Nintendo Land. Here's what he had to say about Metroid Blast:

Metroid Blast is the most complex attraction in Nintendo Land, one that gives you a really full-on action experience. I gave the music an orchestral arrangement for an epic, flamboyant sound, something that made you feel you were playing inside an enormous space.

The chorus you hear in the arrangement of Super Metroid's 'Lower Norfair' music is composed entirely with my own voice, without any processing.

There's a lot of original music here, too, songs that retain that grand sort of Metroid impact. I hope it'll help players really lose themselves as they're thrown into battle inside this massive space!

There's a couple new albums coming out that are focused entirely on Super Metroid music, along with a couple containing arranged music. The first of these, Super Metroid Memories just came out on February 14. I've finally gotten to sit down and write up a review, but you can also preview almost the whole album at Bandcamp for free. Super Metroid Memories is pretty experimental, with lyrics and narration (you heard that right - a Metroid lyrical soundtrack!). The album was arranged by Hyde209 (aka Sebastian Martensson, who won second prize in our most recent contest), and includes about a dozen other collaborators. It's basically a love letter to one of the most treasured games in the series, and the nostalgia trip is definitely worth your listen. You can pick up the album for $5 (comes with an exclusive bonus track and liner notes that has images from Hyde209's DeviantArt page) or preview it for free.

Next up is Super Metroid Symphony, scheduled to be released on March 3. The album is by The Blake Anderson Synthetic Orchestra, a remixer based in London. A few previews have been released, showcasing his fantastic symphonic library. Unlike Super Metroid Memories, this is a straight up orchestral arrange of the original tracks. It looks like the album will be sold through iTunes...which I happen to hate (it's also through the UK store :-/). Andersen does have a Bandcamp page, but it only contains his original music.

Third on the list is The Greatest Video Game Music 2, which came out back in November, and contains a slew of excellent arranges of iconic game soundtracks done by the London Symphonic Orchestra. The Super Metroid piece is arranged by Andrew Skeet and contains the Main Theme, Green Brinstar, and Maridia. Other arranges on the album include Final Fantasy VII's "One Winged Angel", "Dragon Roost Island" from The Wind Waker, and the main theme from Luigi's Mansion(!).You can grab the whole thing as MP3 for $5 off Amazon or the CD for $10. It's well worth the investment.

The fourth is not strictly a Metroid album, but an EP called Worlds by Vicious (aka Trev Wignall, who sent me this e-mail a few days ago... Sorry everybody - I've gotten super busy with my new job lately!). The EP is an electronica album that takes musical cues and atmosphere from the soundtracks to the Metroid series, but is an original work that should particularly appeal to Metroid Prime fans. The final track in the album, "Remorse Code", uses some direct samples from "Crateria - The Space Pirates Appear" from Super Metroid. The whole thing is free to preview and download.

Nintendo showed us a little love today, as they released their latest edition of Nintendo Direct. The show focuses on Luigi, with Iwata calling 2013 the "Year of Luigi." They are releasing 2 Luigi-centric games: Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, Mario & Luigi Dream Team, and also announced Mario Golf for 3DS (which contains Luigi). Other games that are mentioned are Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Style Savvy, Lego City Undercover, Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge DLC, HarmoKnight, Kersploosh!, Mario & Donkey Kong Minis on the Move, and much much more! Also of note is they are porting Retro's platforming masterpiece, Donkey Kong Country Returns to the 3DS. You will be able to download a 3D video of it today for free via the eShop.
Watch it all here:

We also have a bunch of Metroid-themed Valentine's Day cards for you to share with your family and friends. We at the Metroid Database hope you all can share some Metroid love with your loved ones. Or if you don't have anyone else to love, send one to yourself! These have been compiled from all over the internet and are all (c) of their respective owners.

Metroid Headquarters has started off the new year with a new series of podcasts, entitled "Podcast Prime." Episode 2 features an interview with me, Infinity's End! The staff then have a discussion about Samus's arsenal afterwards. Go here to listen to it. Congrats on Ep #2, guys!

In other news, we bring you seven brand-spankin'-new Bestiary entries for your viewing pleasure. Also of note, I'm proud to announce one of the newest artists to the Bestiary team: Dave Melvin. His creature artwork is truly a joy to behold, so his contributions should always be of the highest quality! The remaining artwork was by our other extremely talented artists, Doc Roe, Insanity-Engine, Methuselah 3000, and Rundash. This brings our total up to 216 entries from 31 different artists! Please enjoy all this splendid new artwork!

Hot off the presses: at this morning's Nintendo Direct, Iwata gave us a little taste of what's to come in the future for WiiU. New games announced including a yarn-based Yoshi platformer, a new action-RPG title by MonolithSoft, new 3D Mario, new Mario Kart, and The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD Remake. You can watch the whole recording right here.

A small bit of Metroid news however, is that Super Metroid will be sold on the WiiU Virtual Console in the month of May due to the celebration of the Famicom's 30th anniversary. Each month we will see a different Virtual Console game sold for $0.30, and you have 30 days to pick it up at that price. (No idea why they chose Super Metroid over the original, since they're celebrating the Famicom and not the Super Famicom, but we won't look a gift Epona in the mouth.) We will remind you again come this May for those who forget!

We've wrapped up the Stylized Metroid Series Contest. We got a range of unique styles that I think would make an I Am 8-Bit show proud. The top three results also have commentary by Ukiyo-e Heroes artist Jed Henry, who designed the Ukiyo-e Giclee prints we are giving away for this contest. Thanks, Jed!

THIS JUST IN! Hackers interdpth and PJBoy have recently created a hack that unlocks Fusion's embedded debug mode! The hack allows you turn on/off any of Samus's weapons at any time, as well as other things like giving access to doors and other events. This debug mode was left in the game's code, and all the hackers did was turn access to it back on. Check out the video below. Download it here. You can find more information for its use via our FanApps page. Happy debugging!

NOTE: Use at your own risk. The Metroid Database will never provide ROM files to the public.

A very belated Happy New Year to everyone! Today I bring you two new entries to our Bestiary, the strange and creepy Evir-X from Fusion and the ever elusive Flickerbat from Prime. Check them out below:

This is also a reminder that there is less than 1 week left to get all your entries in for our Stylized Metroid Series Contest. We will not be extending the contest past this date. Expect the results next Monday, 1/21/2013. I hope you are as excited as we are to show you the results!